Endgame

The last book in the series was, unfortunately, this reader’s least favorite, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a real gem. The reality of the series ending was saddening and expectations tend to be very high as a story culminates to its final chapters. Regardless, every series must conclude and writers must reveal the ultimate purpose for their character’s life. And for Fly and Arlene, it is only to be cursed by the fate of one of the two literary schools of galactic criticism, which debate the being of the architects of the Gates. If you haven’t read books one and two in the series, they are a must read. If you have read book three, then, please, by all means finish the series and judge for yourself.

Book three, Infernal Sky, left our diehard protagonists, Fly and Arlene, and their new binary friends, Sears and Roebuck, on an alien ship headed to the Freds’ home world. The conclusion of book three was intense and fun! And thankfully book four continued that excited in the first few chapters. At the risk of spoilers, I will keep my descriptions brief and highlight, as I did for book three, the best aspects of Endgame.

Doom is brain-candy. By this, I mean that so many fun ideas concerning space travel, alien races, and the origins of life are explored and debated by our beloved characters, leaving the reader to join in on the conversation as the plot progresses. One of the best brain-candies is the impact of losing "religion," or faith. Its consequence is devastating, and the reasons are perplexing, yet simple: death’s finality scares men, all men. In one scene, robust men cower when a rebel dinner knife flings accidentally into the air during a prestigious meal between "newbie-infected humans" and Fly and Arlene.

One spoiler: Becoming a "type of prophet" by necessity, Fly uses the weapon of “faith in a leader” to raise an army! The consequences are too interesting to be summarized… come on, you know you want to read this one, now!

Back to the critique…

What remains of Earth is for the reader to cope with since Fly and Arlene discover something about the galactic war and the state of advanced technology that exists now in the universe. Fortunately, an ending that no one could expect is delivered. thankfully, it does deliver our two protagonist back into the fray that readers of book one, Knee-Deep in the Dead, will savor and take away either the best and/or saddest aspects of the series’ epic finale.